


Reunion

by essencede



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, James is alive, Reunion, lee has one arm, lilly is a prisoner, some violetine, tenn and minerva are dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-01-24 07:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18566761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/essencede/pseuds/essencede
Summary: "I'm so sorry I left you. Oh my god.""Sweetpea."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> • Save Carley route  
> • Bring Lilly with us route  
> • Don't shoot Lee route  
> • Let Jane die/Go with Kenny/Don't stay at Wellington route  
> • Romance Violet, Save Violet route

“Be careful out there," Clementine says, leaning on her crutches. 

Violet smiles at that, pecking her girlfriend on the lips. She runs her fingers from her hair, now free after the retiring of her classic cap. 

"I have AJ with me. He'll have my back and I'll have his," Violet assures, giving the child a smile.

"Yeah. I'll protect you," AJ says, nodding his head. 

"C'mere, kiddo," Clem says, holding an arm out.

His face breaks out into a smile as she engulfs him in a hug. She then leans on her crutches again as the two set out. Clementine uses her crutches to get back to the basement, where Lilly remains. Many disagreed with her decision of keeping Lilly, but she decided that it was for the best. Lilly has a soft spot for her and maybe she can acclimate, becoming one of the group. She can become part of Clementine's home. 

Louis appears at her side, giving her a smile. He holds his arms out, nodding over to the basement. 

"Can you carry me down again, Lou?" she asks him and he obliges.

He makes small grunts as he carries her down. He places her down on the cool steps, going to grab her crutches. He hands them back to her and helps her up. They then walk together over to Lilly. 

There's some tension in her face, her eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes are shut and a few strands of hair remain in her face. Her lips are parted and she lets out small snores. 

Louis crosses his arms, looking down on her and shaking his head a little. He remains off to the side, not wanting to write a word about this woman. She didn't give the order to get his tongue cut out, but she sure didn't prevent it. 

"If you want to wait outside, that's fine..." He shakes his head in response. Clem gives him a smile in response before looking back to the woman. "Lilly!" She shouts, the noise bouncing off the walls.

The woman's eyes open and coffee eyes meet amber ones. She huffs and lowers her head, catching her breath. She then holds Clementine's gaze, raising an eyebrow, wanting the girl to speak. 

"Have you thought about my offer? About joining the group?" Clementine asks calmly, crossing her arms. 

"Why do you even bother?" Lilly shakes her head, repeating the same words again.

"You can be part of my family again," Clem adds, her voice softer and Lilly shakes her head.

"How can you say that? I tried to kill you, Clementine," Lilly scoffs before she raises her voice. 

"I'm willing to look past that and give you a second chance."

"What about your friends?" Lilly points out, doubting this can work.

"If you prove yourself to them, there should be no problem," she says and pauses. "It'll take time."

"Do I have any other choice?" Lilly questions.

"Not really. I won't let someone who was once family act like that, kidnap kids and make them fight." Images of Minerva fill her head, her face torn apart by walkers. "I can't let you ruin any other lives."

"How can you be sure I'll never do it again?" 

"I can't, but I can try to help you atone...You were hard all those years ago, but you weren't evil. I still don't see you being evil; you're just...broken. I won't be able to fix you, but being in this group, by not continuing to be one of those raiders, it could help you," Clementine says and Lilly lets out a sigh.

"Alright. I'll join your group," she says quietly and Clem smiles at that. 

"I'll tell the group and we'll slowly get you and the group acclimated to one another."

 

"You and Willy can really make Clem a new foot?" Violet asks, raising an eyebrow at the boy. 

"Yeah, it's possible! There's books about it!" AJ replies cheerfully. 

"I know it is, but do you have the supplies?" Violet asks, holding back a smile. This kid is absolutely adorable when he's excited.

"Um, I don't know, but we can go get them," AJ replies with a shrug. 

"Well, I'll help you if you guys need it," Violet responds, giving him a genuine smile, one that meets her eyes. 

She's slowly getting over the shock of Tenn's death, how she lived because he died. She's grateful, but it's still rough to go through. Seeing this boy's good side, hearing his justification, it made it easier. He did it because he had to and besides, Tenn wasn't really made for this world. In that moment, that little boy was gone. 

They arrive at a small farm, just five miles from the school. A man with one arm greets them. He's tall with skin a few shades darker than AJ. He has short, black and grey curls and lines on his forehead. He also has one arm, reminding the duo of their leader.

"Hello," he greets, his deep voice and height making him intimidating to the blonde.

"Hey," Violet greets, mustering up a smile.

"My name is Lee. Nice to meet you," he greets, opening up the gate.

"Violet and this is AJ," she says, motioning to the armed child. "Are you the leader?"

"Yes, I am."

"Have you guys been staying here?" Violet asks as she walks in, taking in the place.

"No, we just arrived a few days ago. There was a herd and we ended up here," he explains, waving over a woman. 

"Oh," Violet replies. "Would you guys like to trade?" 

"Trade what exactly?" He questions as the woman arrives. 

"Hello, my name is Marlene." She has tan skin, dark, wavy hair pulled into a bun. 

"That's Violet and I'm AJ," the boy speaks up and the two adults give him a smile. 

"Nice to meet you," she responds, nodding her head.

"They want to trade," Lee says and her face scrunches up.

"We don't have much, but if we get some plants in, we could start something," she says, looking to Lee who nods.

"Would you mind bringing me to your home? See if you're legit and maybe we can have a discussion with your group," Lee suggests, moving his one hand as she talks.

"I'll come with you," Marlene offers and he nods. 

"Yeah, our leader may want to talk with you," Violet says, agreeing hesitantly. At least, their group has the numbers and weapons if things go wrong. "Do you guys have weapons?"

Marlene pulls out her gun and then puts in back in the side of her jeans. Lee pulls out a gun and then sticks it in the back of jeans. 

"Then, let's go," Violet says and they begin their walk together.

"Is your group all kids?" Marlene asks, trying to make conversation.

"No, we do have an addition to the group who's an adult," Violet explains, unsure of how to explain Lilly.

AJ looks to Lee's stump, studying it. It reminds him of Clem. Did he also get bit, the child wonders. 

"Sorry if it scares you," Lee chuckles, lifting up what's left of his arm.

"It doesn't. My friend has part of her leg missing too," AJ says, pointing to his arm.

"Oh, was there an accident?" Marlene looks to Violet who sighs.

Her face scrunches up. She remembers not being able to step foot in the school. She ran through the woods and came across a farm. Walkers were crowding and it the moment she heard Clem's scream, she was running there. She was kicking and stomping in walker's faces. At one point, she was using a large branch, breaking their faces in. 

She finally got in and her heart stopped. Clem was unconscious and her leg was off the side. AJ made a fire and was doing his best to control the wound, cauterizing it. She held back a scream and helped the boy. They stopped the bleeding and wrapped her leg using bits of Violet's undershirt. She recalls the look on AJ's face; his bloodied face, paler than usual, his reddened eyes and trembling lower lip. 

"Um, yeah. Our leader got bit and we amputated her leg. Luckily, she made it out. It took a few days, but she got out of bed and resumed her role as leader," Violet says, trying not to image how it would be if Clem didn't make it.

"Same thing happened to me," Lee says, shaking his head. "It was so painful," he recalls, glancing to the stump. "I can't imagine losing a leg, being unable to walk in this world."

"Yeah, luckily, we have walls and she's safe now," Violet agrees, nodding her head. 

"I won't let anything happen to her," AJ states, pressing a finger to his chest. 

"That's the good thing about a group. We all have each other's backs," Marlene mentions, smiling at Lee. 

"This is my first time having a group. It's nice," AJ mentions, nodding his head.

"That's good, little man," Violet replies with a smile.

They hear groans in the distance and immediately, they're all on edge. Lee and Marlene arm themselves. When AJ pulls out a gun, Marlene squints.

"Um, are you sure he should have that?" Marlene asks. She understands how terrible this world is, but a kid with a gun doesn't sound like a good idea.

"Marlene, you need to know how to use a gun in this world. No matter the age," Lee points out.

"I know you taught a little girl to shoot a gun, but at the very least, wasn't she a little older? He probably should be in kindergarten," Marlene says, shaking her head.

"He knows how to use it," Violet says, holding back a glare. 

"Yeah, I know to only use it on walkers, unless I really have to use it on a person," AJ says, making Marlene unsettled. She can't imagine a child having to kill a person. 

"Just drop it, Marlene," Lee says and she sighs. 

"I'll stay in front. Let's avoid using the guns," Violet says, glancing to them. 

 

"Are you sure about Lilly?" James questions, sitting at one of the tables with Clementine.

"No, but I can't just give up on her. She's still in there, the woman I used to know," Clementine says and shakes her head. "I'm so tired of killing people, letting family die."

James smiles at that, nodding his head solemnly. He was worried about that child after hearing about him killing, but seeing this act of mercy, he's less concerned. 

"Just be careful. Letting her join the group could be dangerous." Clem nods her head.

"What about you?" Clem asks, tilting her head a little.

"Me joining the group?" James squints a little, staring at the table for a second.

"Yeah, have you considered?" She asks. He meets her eyes and purses his lips.

"I would like to. You're nice people. I'm just..."

"Not used to people?"

"Yeah..."

"I get it. I was on my own for a while. I lost AJ for a few months and was just angry and lonely. I was so used to being alone and then I got him back and it was just us for years, even before that. I get it," she says and he nods his head.

"Thank you for the offer," he says, giving her a shy, hesitant smile.

"You're welcome for dinner. You don't have to stay after that," Clem offers and his eyes widen a bit.

"Yeah, that sounds good," he gives in, nodding his head.

"They're back!" Willy shouts, waving his arms. 

James stands up, helping Clementine with her crutches. Once able to walk, he steps back and walks away. The gate opens up and immediately, Clem meets Violet's eyes. The young woman gives her a huge smile, reaching her green eyes. 

"Clem!" AJ greets her excitedly and hugs her legs.

"Hey, kiddo," she greets him and then she makes it over to the two people. 

"Clem...?" Lee's voice reaches her eyes and immediately, tears begin to develop. 

She falls into his arms, her crutches meeting the ground. She sniffles and her lip trembles. 

"Lee," she whimpers, the sound meeting his ears. "I'm so sorry I left you. Oh my god."

"Sweetpea," he whispers, hugging her tightly. "You've gotten so much taller." 

She pulls away and he has to hold out his arm for her. Violet and AJ watch confusedly, not having put the pieces together. Marlene is also in the dark, glancing to these new people and Lee.

He glances back to her hair and frowns. "I thought I told you to keep your hair short."

It clicks. She remembers snuggling with Clem one night, playing with her hair. She suggested Clem grow her hair out since she adores the curls. Clem said she couldn't; she made a promise to Lee, to be safe and keep her hair short. Violet couldn't object, having done the same thing.

"A girl can dream," Violet had said and Clem chuckled at that.

"Hey, it's really hard finding scissors out here," Clem justifies, wiping away tears. A few started to leave his eyes. 

"I'll give you that," he says and then looks to the crutches and Violet. "Could you please help her?" Violet nervously nodded and helped her girlfriend.

"Oh, Lee. This is Violet. She's my girlfriend." Violet's face immediately reddens and she nervously waved. Her heart races. This guy was like a father figure to her. If he doesn't approve—she tries not to imagine it.

"Nice to meet you. Hopefully you make my girl happy," he says, smiling to her.

"She does," Clem adds, smiling to the both of them. "This is AJ."

"Oh, you're Lee!" He points out, eyes widening. "Clem talks about you sometimes. I thought you were dead."

"I thought I was too, honestly. I wouldn't have let Clem leave me if I didn't think I was a danger to her," he says and shakes his head at the memory. It was the worst day of their lives. 

"I'm in your shoes now," Clem adds as they walk deeper into the school. "Except I've been raising him since the day he was born."

"Is that why he knows how to shoot a gun?" 

"Yeah, taught him the same way." She smiles, remembering that time on the train. 

"Clem, this is my friend, Marlene," he says and Marlene waves. 

"Nice to meet you. You guys are welcome to stay for dinner," Clem says, due to the influx of supplies after the attack on Lilly's group. 

"Are you sure?" Lee checks.

"You don't have to. We'd like to discuss trading and you two can catch up," Marlene assures.

"No, it's alright. Vi, can you ask Omar to make more dinner?" Clem asks and Violet nods.

"Sure." She kisses Clem on the cheek and walks away.


	2. Chapter 2

"How is it?" Lee asks as he puts her crutches against the picnic table.

"Being a leader?" She asks, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, and raising a kid. You know what you're doing?" He sits in front of her, folding his hands on the table.

"No, I just fought and fought, Lee. It's all I could do. I did my best and he's survived. Somehow, being a leader for more people is easier than taking care of a kid. I would never give that up though. I love him to death." Clementine rests her cheek in her hand, watching as AJ laughs. The little boy watches Aasim and Willy throw a ball, fighting for it at times. 

"Felt the same about you. I didn't know how to care of you and we both lost a lot, all the people around us, but I'd never give up the months I got with you," he admits, glancing to the child and then to her. She's matured so much. He can't help but smile and she nods her head at that.

"If you hadn't found me, hadn't taught me how to shoot, I would be dead, Lee. After I lost Christa, I met this group. They had this girl who was a bit older than me and she was babied. She didn't last long; she wasn't made for this world," Clementine explains, shaking her head. 

"Sorry you had to see that," he says, tapping his fingers against the wooden table.

"That wasn't a good time. I met some really nice people, including AJ's mom and I saw Kenny again," she says the last part with a big smile.

"Kenny?" Lee questions. "But he saved Ben and..."

"He made it out. I saw him again and it was amazing. I lost everything; I thought you were dead, Omid was dead, and I lost Christa. He was alive and back. There was some tension between my group and Kenny's. We ended up getting taken to this place and things just went to shit after that. Kenny...got his face beaten in by this guy, Carver—" she growls out the name, "—and his girlfriend died."

"Did he die then?" Lee asks, wondering what happened the man. Was he the same Kenny after all that? They had their disagreements, but he was a good man, a loyal one. He hopes the man was happy for at least some of the time he lived and that his death left him at peace.

"No, he lived. AJ was born right after that," Clem smiles and then sighs. "But his mom, Rebecca, didn't make it long after that. Blood loss or something like that. Only made things worse and Kenny was just angry. He was broken and then this woman, Jane, set him off. I uh, let her die. She put AJ and myself in danger to make a point. She pretended AJ died to push Kenny of the edge and just left him in a car. If things went wrong, if I never heard AJ's cries, he would be dead," Clementine states angrily and Lee shakes his head.

"She sounds like an asshole," he mutters and Clem nods. 

"After that all of that, I can't deny it." 

"How long were you with Kenny for?" Lee asks and she stares off for a minute.

"Maybe...two years?" She didn't count the days, but AJ grew a lot over the time. He had to be around two years old when Kenny died.

"Damn. I'm sorry he died," Lee states, breathing out a sigh. He holds his head in his hand for a minute. He can't imagine how much pain, how much loss, how many atrocities his girl has witnessed. He then meets her eyes again, but Violet is then at Clem's side.

"Dinner will be ready soon. Omar insisted on getting it ready since we have guests who might be starving." She gives Lee a smile and he nods his head, his smile meeting his eyes. 

She goes to walk away, but Clem grabs her wrist gently. Violet looks to her for an explanation.

"Come, sit. I want you to meet Lee," Clementine says with a smile and Violet's eyes widen.

"Um, are you sure? I don't want to be a bother." Violet looks back and forth between them.

"You won't be," Lee assures. "Besides, I'd like to meet Clem's girl."

"Stay," Clem commands, giving her a stern look, raising her eyebrows. She also lightly pulls on Violet's arm.

"If you insist." Violet sits next to Clem. 

"Nice to meet you," Lee repeats and Violet smiles.

"Nice to meet you, again." She chuckles and he does the same.

"Um, thank you for taking care of her. She told me a bit about you and all I know is that I don't know if she'd be here," Violet says, her face softening. "I owe you, AJ does too, we all do."

"Thank you for taking care of her too. She's tough, but injured like that—" He motions to her and shakes his head. "—I'm surprised she's made it. I've had close ones with having one arm. One leg, I can't imagine."

"Of course," Violet says and links her hand with Clementine's. Clem flushes and smiles, nodding her head. "I'm not letting her go any time soon."

"Good, I don't plan on it either." He looks to Clementine, smiling. "Even if we're in different groups, I'd like to visit occasionally. As often as I can." He turns to Violet. "I'll bring my own dinner for those times."

"It's fine. If you trade with us, we can take that as payment," Violet assures and then shrugs. "Besides, you kept our leader alive, my girlfriend alive. We owe you more than a few dinners."

"Thank you," he says and Violet holds up her hand, shaking her head.

"Uh, you don't need to thank me," Violet says, blushing a little. He nods his head at that, noticing how nervous the young woman seemed.

"Now, Clem. How long were you with Christa and Omid?" Lee changes the subject and Clem sighs, shutting her eyes for a second.

"Um, well, Christa was pregnant. So I was with her and Omid until right before the baby was born. I uh, made a mistake; left my gun and a girl took it. She aimed it right at me and was trying to rob me. Omid tried to sneak into the bathroom where we were, but then the door shut and she just shot him in the chest. He was dead shortly after that. Christa was never the same. She never flat out blamed me, but it was my fault." Violet squeezed Clementine's hand at that, furrowing her eyebrows. 

"We were together for a bit over a year. Then, I met this other group, where AJ's parents were." She smiles a little and then loses the curve in her lips. "Then, I met Kenny again."

"It wasn't your fault," Lee finally speaks, shaking his head. "It was the girl's."

"If I didn't leave me gun on the sink, the girl wouldn't have been armed. Omid wouldn't have died," Clementine states, shaking her head. She grips Violet's hand tighter for a second and then unclenches.

"Did their baby make it?" Lee asks and Clem shakes her head.

"Made it even worse. Christa was very unhappy. I became more like a chore at that point. She spoke to me less and less and we lived together, but not at the same time. We were just near each other, not together," Clementine describes, moving her free hand, struggling to describe their complicated relationship. "She still cared for me, in the end. She was just upset and struggling."

"I wish we knew I was fine, that it was blood loss making me pass out," Lee adds, letting out a sigh. "Maybe Omid and Christa would be alive."

"Yeah, I do too. But maybe you would've died instead of Omid or I wouldn't have met AJ." She glances over to the boy, who is now teaching Willy to draw. The two boys sit on the ground together, discussing something the trio can't hear. 

"Yeah, maybe." He shrugs. "So, Violet, you seek like a nice girl, but if you do anything to hurt Clem—"

"Lee!" Clem scolds, letting go of Violet's hand to lightly slap his arm. 

"Hey, you don't need me protecting you, but that won't stop me from trying," he replies, meeting Violet's nervous gaze.

After the apocalypse started, she never thought she'd be having one of these conversations with Minerva or anyone's parents. 

"I won't hurt her," Violet promises, placing her hand on her chest. She holds Lee's gaze, looking into those coffee eyes. "I care for her. A lot."

"Me too," Lee says and Clem laughs.

"With both of you around, I shouldn't have to worry about having a leg and a half as much," she comments and they chuckle.

"We'll have your back," Violet assures, intertwining their fingers again. 

"Have you ever thought of getting a prosthetic or something? It would be hard, but not impossible, I'm sure," Lee suggests and Clem shrugs. 

"Like a peg leg? Get me an eyepatch and I'll be a pirate," Clem jokes and Violet chuckles at that. Lee smiles, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah," he replies and Violet's eyes widen.

"Why don't we find the supplies that we need for one and you can trade us that for food or something?" Violet suggests and Lee nods his head at that. 

"Vi, we should be getting actual useful supplies, something beneficial for the whole group," Clem argues, frowning.

"Wouldn't it be useful for the group's leader to be able to go on supply runs? Or get away if attacked, without crutches?" Violet argues, moving her hands around. 

"Still, we should be involving the whole group in this decision. I may be leader, but I think this is a group decision, Vi," she points out, raising an eyebrow. 

"Discuss it with your group. We don't even have much to offer you all at this point, so we can wait," Lee mentions and then looks at Marlene, who's taking a liking to Ruby and Aasim.

"Yeah, let's hash it out over dinner," Violet suggests and Clem nods her head. "Speaking of dinner, are we bringing...?"

"Um, I don't know. I'll bring her food, maybe bring Lee down there to meet her," Clementine says and Violet then remembers that Lee and Lilly know each other. 

"Meet who?" Lee questions, raising his eyebrows.

"You'll see," Clementine replies and he squints his eyes. "Just enjoy dinner because you might not like our other...guest."

"Okay..."

"So, Lee, how many groups have you been in since we got separated?" Clementine asks and Violet perks up. She knows this is going to be interesting.

"A few," he says and lets out a sigh. "I woke up, handcuffed in that police station. I was shocked to be alive. I sat there for a while, being unable to get out of handcuffs, my one hand being handcuffed. Then, a few hours later, a man came in. The herd was gone and he snuck in through another entrance since there were still leftovers from the herd. He had me at gunpoint and I told him simply that I was passing out due to blood loss and I wasn't going to let my daughter get bitten." Clementine raises her eyebrows at that

"Sorry for saying you were my daughter. I could never replace your parents."

"You're not replacing my parents. You were like a dad to me. Just like I'm AJ's mom, or something like it, but that doesn't mean I'm replacing his mom," Clementine describes and the other two nod their heads in agreement.

Lee is left silent for a minute, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip. He stares at his hand, clenching and unclenching it before speaking.

"Thank you for that, Clementine," he says, struggling to keep his voice steady. She reaches out for his hand and grips it tightly.

"Thank you," she says, holding back tears. 

Violet's green eyes shift back and forth to the two, watching both their faces soften. Little curls fall into Clem's face and she doesn't bother to touch them. Her smaller hand lets go of his and Violet notices her blinking a little extra, blinking away tears.

"Thank you," she repeats, staring at his stump, blaming herself for it. "Now, continue."

"Well, that man took the keys off that walker in that office. Remember the walker you killed?"

"I thought I was going to die," Clementine says, her eyes widening. 

"Well, the keys were on him. The guy handcuffed me and I found out his name was Mike. We were together for about a day before we parted ways. Then, I've been group to group for a while, some time by myself too," Lee explains, shrugging. "Lots of people died, lots of them I barely knew, some of them I got attached to."

"Yeah, it sucks," Clementine agrees, pushing those strands of her back. 

"I can't imagine what it's like to live on the road. You must meet so many people and lose a majority of them. All I've ever known was this school and I just witnessed our numbers dwindle," Violet describes, clenching her fist and staring at the wooden table.

"Yeah, I never had a home," Clem says and then smiles a little. "Until now."

"Neither have I," Lee admits. 

"You guys should join us, if the group is okay with it. Or at least we can get along," Clem suggests which gets her a nod from Lee and her girlfriend.

"I would like to, but combining two groups can be tough."

"I know," Clem says and nods her head. "AJ's parents' group...they were a bit of a mess, and didn't really get along with Kenny's group. It was awkward, having to choose between them at dinner and all of that," Clem describes, losing the hopefulness in her eyes. 

Violet intently listens, interested in the girl's interesting and unknown past. She only knows bits and pieces, most of these memories including AJ and Lee, some of the most important people in her journey. 

Lee nods his head, unsure of what to say. Then, Omar's voice fills the air, "Dinner's ready!" 

AJ walks over to the table, holding a bowl in his hands. He curiously glances at Lee, who smiles at the boy. The boy quirks his head and smiles in response. Clem spots the spot next to her and the boy sits down.

"I'll grab your dinner," Violet says, resting her hand on Clem's shoulder before walking away.

Lee goes to stand up, but notices Marlene walking over with two bowls in her hands. She gives a smile to AJ and Clementine.

"He's such a cutie," she compliments the boy, who pouts in response. 

"Clem also says that," he mutters before chowing down.

"Because it's true, kiddo," she says, poking him in the side and chuckling.

"I'm not little anymore, so I'm not cute," he argues as the adults all laugh.

"You're still little, goofball," Clementine says and he shoots her a glare at the nickname. 

"I can't imagine what it's like growing up in this," Marlene adds to the conversation, furrowing her eyebrows. 

"Traumatic," Clementine replies, avoiding the woman's eyes.

"It's traumatic enough as an adult. I can't imagine what it's like to be born into this, for it to be normal. I also can't imagine raising a child in this." Marlene nods to AJ. 

"Here," Violet says as she places the bowls on the table. 

"Thanks," Clem replies with a smile. Violet just smiles in response. 

"It must be nice living behind these walls. You could honestly forget that walkers exist," Marlene says, moving her hands and looking around. 

"Yeah, they've kept us protected since it all started," Violet agrees before taking a bite. 

"You okay?" Clem checks up on Lee, noticing he hasn't eaten. "Um, it's not made from a person, by the way," she adds, sort of jokingly.

"You weren't joking about eating the guy's leg?" Violet questions, covering her mouth, her face contorting.

"I stopped her," Lee replies as Marlene puts her spoon down. "Sorry, I actually wasn't worried about that. I was just dozing off."

"Sorry for reminding you," Clem replies sheepishly. 

"I'm sure it was more traumatizing for you," he replies with a shrug, cringing. 

AJ looks to Lee and Clementine with concern. Clementine forces a smile, not wanting to explain the situation to the boy. 

"Let's talk about something else," Marlene suggests, glancing to the child and then to Clem. "Like how you and Lee met. I've only heard bits about you, but I really don't know anything about his past." She points her finger at him. 

"My parents went on vacation to Savannah. They left me with a babysitter and then everything went down. She was bit and ended up dying, so I hid up in my treehouse for a few days. Then, Lee came into my yard and went inside my house. He was injured and looking for help. I thought he was my dad and we ended up talking. He got attacked by my babysitter, who had turned and then I gave him a hammer. We stuck together after that," Clementine replies before continuing to eat. 

"Do you know what happened to your parents?" Marlene asks and Lee cringes, along with Clem.

"Yeah, I saw them, the day I thought Lee died. Worst day of my life." Violet rests her hand on Clem's back and AJ lowers his head. 

Lee nods his head in agreement as Marlene looks to him for a reaction.

"Yeah, I was terrified that I had just left you on your own like that. What if you didn't find Omid and Christa?" Lee agrees before continuing to eat. 

"Sorry for asking," Marlene replies. "I had to put my parents down and...my son. My husband was on a business trip and I never found him."

"I'm sorry," Clem and Lee apologize. 

They finish up dinner and stack their bowls at the table. Violet grabs Clem's crutches and helps her up. They're then led over to the rest of the group at another table. 

"Hey, everyone," Clem greets them. "This is Lee, he took care of me from the beginning and his friend, Marlene."

"Nice to meet you," everyone says at about the same time.

"So, are we joinin' up with 'em?" Ruby asks, placing a hand on her hip as Louis nods. 

"Maybe, if you guys and their group agree to it. So far, we've agreed to trade. I'm thinking guns in exchange for food," Clem mentions before Violet puts in her idea.

"I'm thinking we get supplies to make Clem a new leg, or something close to it, like a pirate's peg leg," Violet suggests and everyone seems to respond to that suggestion. 

"It would be good for our leader to be able to walk," Aasim adds.

"Yeah, I've never been properly taught to shoot a gun," Ruby agrees.

"AJ and I can teach you," Clem points out.

"Why don't we trade for weapons another time? We can always get that some other time. Plus, we already have bows and arrows, knives, supplies for bombs," Aasim begins to list what they have. Louis raises his hand and nods, voting for this.

"Fine, what do we need then?" Clem gives in, giving them a grateful smile.

"I can come up with a list with Aasim," Willy offers and Clem nods. 

"Okay, then what do you guys need? Food?" Clem asks, turning to Lee and Marlene.

"We have a decent sized group, food is needed," Marlene points out. 

"Yes, I think that's what we need most at the moment. What do you guys have for food?" Lee asks.

"We have a greenhouse where we're growing vegetables, like carrots and peppers," Ruby explains and nods his head.

"That sounds good," Lee agrees and looks to Marlene, who looks pleased.

"Then, we have a deal. You guys will just have to wait for Willy to come up with his list for supplies," Clem says. "You can stay the night of it takes too long, but we don't know if we can provide breakfast."

"We should get back before tomorrow," Marlene says. "But we don't have to. If we come to a good deal, I think it will make up for our absence."

"If we're getting food for the group somehow, they will he fine with it," Lee agrees, shrugging.

"Sounds good." Clem nods her head. 

"Here, I don't want to give her the dinner myself." Clem turns, seeing Violet being handed a bowl, Lilly's dinner.

"I'll do it," Violet volunteers before Clem speaks up.

"No, I'll do it," Clem interrupts and Violet frowns. 

"But you can't get up the stairs and it's a struggle for you," Violet points out before giving in. "I'll carry you down."

"Thank you." Clem moves over to Violet, kissing her cheek. Violet smiles back at her before Clem turns to Lee. "Lee, I want you to meet someone."


End file.
